


Wall Between Worlds

by seitsemannen



Category: GOT7
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Elf Mark, Elves, Happy Ending, Human Jaebum, Humans and elves are enemies, I swear, M/M, Tragedy, but not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-02
Updated: 2016-09-02
Packaged: 2018-08-12 14:13:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7937731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seitsemannen/pseuds/seitsemannen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A wall separates the worlds of elves and humans, of magic and science. It's not an imposing one - made of stone, the height of it just about to an adult's hip, but everyone knows not to cross it.</p><p>Jaebum has been warned about elves, magic and crossing the wall all seven years of his life. He has never felt the need to question those warnings and beliefs, until he runs away from home after an argument on a beautiful summer day, and in the magical, forbidden forest, finds an elven boy named Mark.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wall Between Worlds

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WeirderThanWeird](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeirderThanWeird/gifts).



There was a wall that separated Jaebum’s village and its farmlands from the magical kingdom on the other side. It was not an imposing one - made of stone and just barely to an adult's hip, but everyone knew better than to ever cross it.

But Jaebum was seven, and his parents had just scolded him for throwing eggs at the principal’s house even though it had not even been him, it had been Jinyoung and Jackson from one class below Jaebum who had done it. The two had blamed Jaebum though, so it had been word against word, and it was easy to blame the temperamental son of a blacksmith when one was the son of a knight and the other the son of the most wealthy merchant in town, both exemplary students when Jaebum hated school and made it abundantly clear. Jaebum thought they were friends, but apparently not getting scolded by their parents was more important than friendship or loyalty to the two six-year-olds.

So Jaebum was seven, he was crying and angry, slamming the door behind him as he ran away from the unjust scolding, determined to just  _ get away. _ He ran and ran until there was no further to go, he was at the stupid stone wall that was the edge of the world he as a seven year old boy knew. In his fit of anger, Jaebum climbed over the wall, stomping into the forest beyond that everyone had always been forbidden to go to, feeling some twisted satisfaction in breaking rules and causing worry if anyone happened to figure out where he had went.

The forest was a disappointment. Jaebum had always been warned about the forest - to not go there, that there were temptations and witches that would lure him and eat him, or elves that would slice his throat open just to see the color of his blood, or any of the other scary stories used as excuses for no one to ever wonder about the other side of the wall. Jaebum was just a child, and he was sure now that the warnings were just another way his parents and the elders oppressed him, when the forest was a perfectly fine, boring old forest, with nothing to be scared of in the middle of the day.

Jaebum was about to turn back, having had time to cool his temper down as he had spent a while walking around in the forest, when he heard a soft, sad sound, like someone crying. He looked around in the virgin forest, sunlight streaming through the leaves of the centuries old trees, but there was no immediate danger anywhere he could see, so his curiosity got the better of him, and instead of turning and heading back home like he should have, Jaebum decided to follow the sound. Stepping over big roots and mossy stones, Jaebum came to the edge of a small clearing with a small pond and a small boy, sitting on the edge of it on a big flat stone, hugging his knees to his chest and hiding his face, shoulders shaking and obviously upset.

Worry over the small-framed boy with messy bright blonde hair came before his already waned anger or any suspicion his parents and the elders had tried to instill in him, and Jaebum spoke up before thinking. “Are you okay?”

The blonde’s head snapped up as he looked at Jaebum with big, black eyes, and it was obvious Jaebum had startled him. It was only now, when Jaebum was able to have a look at his face, at his small pink lips and fine high cheekbones, that Jaebum noticed the ears that continued from the sides of the boy’s pretty face all the way, long, long into the mess of moonlight-like blonde hair, too long to be the ears of a human boy.

In fact, his whole coloring was weird. Jaebum had only ever seen people with tan skin and dark hair, so it should have rung some sort of alarm bells to note the boy’s pale skin and fair colored hair, even before noticing the weird, pointy ears.

_ An elf.  _ Jaebum had stumbled upon an elven boy in the forest he had always been warned about. An elf, the worst of human killers, the ones the worst nightmares were made out of.

But this one… He did not look like a killer. The boy looked young, maybe Jaebum's age, and he was now crouching on the balls of his feet, looking frightened and ready to run. He was definitely not very threatening.

Jaebum was fairly certain it was a he, although with how  _ pretty _ the elf’s face was, he could not be sure.

Jaebum did not know what prompted it, after being warned about all magical beings and especially elves all his life, but instead of feeling frightened, he mostly felt intrigued. The elven boy still had tear tracks on his face, and he looked vulnerable although Jaebum could see from his build that the smaller boy was more than likely able to take Jaebum in a fight, and probably overpower him, if that talk of the agility of elves was true, and Jaebum was the best fighter from the children of his village.

For some reason, although it was the opposite of what he had been instructed to do in any such a situation, Jaebum slowly raised his hands in a sign that he meant no harm, not making any effort to escape. Jaebum would have wanted to take a step closer too, but he did not dare to in case he would scare the elven boy away. He was  _ curious. _

Neither of them moved, watching each other carefully. They stayed in silence for what felt like a long time, but was probably just a minute, until Jaebum got impatient like he so often did, and he decided to risk it, shifting on his feet and clearing his throat to speak. “Uhm, I'm sorry I startled you… Are you alright?”

The blonde blinked slowly at him, big beautiful black eyes studying him with curiosity that was as badly hidden as Jaebum’s probably was, and the worst tension seemed to ease from the elven boy’s body, although he was still posed and ready to run. The boy licked his pink lips nervously, glancing around warily before locking eyes with Jaebum again, speaking up with a quiet voice. “Um, I'm... fine?”

“You were crying, though, just now, weren't you?” Jaebum blurted, and the other boy narrowed his coal black eyes at him, although more in annoyance than suspicion, which might be a good thing? Jaebum did not know. He knew what he  _ should  _ do, what his parents and his elders had taught if he would happen to run into an elf; run and not look back. But Jaebum did not want to run. Jaebum was burning with curiosity _ , _ and he wanted to learn more about the elven boy who did not seem that different, except for how unfairly fair his looks were and how his ears were of an unfamiliar shape.

“What do you know, human. Maybe your eyesight betrayed you”, the elf snapped haughtily, and Jaebum ignored too easily the sensible voice in the back of his head that still nagged that maybe he should listen to his parents’ advice and retreat, throwing himself into the banter instead.

“Even if it did, my hearing certainly didn't, elf. I could hear you wailing and sniffling from afar.”

The elf let out an offended sputter that kind of reminded Jaebum of how Jinyoung got when he got called out on his bullshit, and this was  _ definitely  _ familiar ground for Jaebum. He knew nothing as well as he knew how to piss the son of the wealthy merchant off, although that was probably not what he should aim for with the elven boy, since this chance to learn more about elves was unique and Jaebum had just so many questions.

“Even if I was, why would you care why an elf cries, human?”

Jaebum shrugged, deciding to just be honest for now. “I didn't exactly know I would find an elf when I followed the sound, and anyway, why would it matter if it's an elf or a human that's crying?”

The elf looked surprised at his words. Now the other boy was not hiding his curiosity either, cocking his head to the side like an animal trying to assess something it did not understand. Jaebum found it adorable, although he really should not, and he knew that. It was just that he did not care what he had been taught - the elven boy was cute, and did not seem dangerous at all.

“You're weird, for a human.”

At this, Jaebum burst to laugh. He was not, not really. “Met many humans, then?”

The elven boy was biting on the side of his lip now, the other end sticking out as he contemplated his answer, finally sitting down on his bum instead of being perched on the balls of his feet. It was a sign of trust as good as any, because it was the elf letting his guard at least somewhat down in Jaebum’s presence, so Jaebum considered it a victory.

“No”, the elf finally conceded, folding his knees to his chest again and resting his arms on his knees, eyes still watching Jaebum carefully although he had somewhat relaxed. Jaebum smiled, and hoped it would help making the elven boy feel more at ease, or something.

“I haven’t met any elves before, either”, Jaebum admitted, deciding it was probably alright now to step closer. “I’m gonna sit on the grass, please don’t freak out.”

The elven boy scoffed as if he was offended by the warning, and Jaebum was pretty sure this smile was now glued onto his face, because it did not seem to be slipping off. He was just so excited - the elf was funny and definitely very interesting, and to have this tentative trust building between them was thrilling.

Nobody at home would believe him.

Not that he could tell anyone, of course. They would freak out, or think he was making this up, and Jaebum would  _ definitely _ get into horrible trouble if anyone found out he had been over the wall. Jaebum did not want to get into any more trouble than he already had, now that he had calmed down and did not seek to break the rules anymore out of spite, but he was in the forest already. Now it was just that he needed to not get caught, and to not get caught included not talking about what he had seen here, and sneaking back to his side of the wall. Jaebum could do that, easily. People tended to stay a safe distance away from the wall anyway, superstitions and what not.

Jaebum sat down on the grass a small distance away from the flat rock the elf was sitting on, not thinking either of them were ready for them to sit actually next to one another, both of them still sort of distrustful of one another. Jaebum wondered how he looked in the elf’s eyes, if all elves were as delicate but strong as this one looked, if their hair and skin were as fair as all the humans Jaebum had known were not. The elf was looking at him with a similar amount of curiosity, and Jaebum decided he did not want to keep calling the boy “the elf” in his head, he wanted to know his name.

“My name is Jaebum. What’s yours?” Jaebum did not know how elven greetings usually went, but he figured smiling friendly and bowing his head would not hurt. The elf blinked slowly at him again, but then he mimicked the gesture of the bow, before doing a weird gesture with an open palm that Jaebum could only guess was some sort of greeting or courtesy among elves.

“I’m Mark.”

  
  
  


They both sated what they could of their curiosities, asking and answering questions about their respective life styles, about how elven and human communities worked, and so forth. Jaebum learned that elves did not farm, but hunted game and collected berries and roots and other things from the forest, and ate those. Mark boasted that he was a great archer - Jaebum believed him, not that he knew anything about archery or hunting, as the farmlands were not really opportune places for those, and he had only been taught to forge and swing a sword, and work the fields. As fascinated as he was about everything Mark told about his family and his everyday life, Mark was equally curious about hearing him tell about his metal work, about how his school worked and about the different animals they kept.

Most importantly, they both found out that the other had been warned all their life about the other race, but as the hours passed and they talked, they found nothing to fear in one another, both enjoying moments of silence amongst curious questions, both serious in their characters, but enjoying teasing and having fun when they felt more comfortable.

Mark showed him how to read the tracks of a deer that had passed by the pond, and Jaebum showed the blonde the small dagger he had made himself that he always carried with him. Eventually, Jaebum told the elf even about how he had been accused by his friends for a deed they had done themselves and that was why he had run into the forest that had been forbidden for him, and in exchange Mark told him about how a fox they had kept as a family pet had died, and Mark had been at the clearing to grieve it in peace. Jaebum held Mark’s hand comfortingly as they made their way back to the clearing because it felt the right thing to do.

It was an exchange of cultures and trust, and like children so easily did, they were easy to accept their differences with curiosity instead of fear.

It was only when Jaebum’s stomach began to grumble too loudly that he realized that it was late and the sun was already setting, and he should probably return back to his village, or they would surely start searching for him and note that he was nowhere to be found. The two of them agreed to meet again at the clearing of the pond in a month, on the afternoon of the same waning half moon they saw on the sky today, to talk and play and get to know each other more.

  
  
  


“You really don't care that I'm an elf?”

“Why would I? We're friends now, aren't we?”

“...Yeah.”

  
  
  


They kept meeting each other monthly, talking for hours in the clearing or as they walked the forest grounds nearby, sometimes playing games or climbing trees or showing off items they brought from their respective villages, always eager to learn more about the other. Months turned into years and they became fast friends - Jaebum had made up with Jinyoung and Jackson eventually, and he loved Youngjae like a little brother, but the friendship he had with Mark was special. Mark would listen to anything he would say without interruption or judgement, black eyes wide and keen on him no matter if they would be sitting next to one another on a rock or one of them would have their head on the other’s lap as they talked. Mark was Jaebum's secret.

Apparently all elves had fair shades of hair and skin, but Jaebum did not know if the different shades could be as flattering as the slightly silvery blonde shade of hair that Mark had, paired with the porcelain of his skin, especially with how when Jaebum told the (slightly older, he had found) boy that, an attractive shade of pink would spread on the apples of his cheeks. Jaebum thought Mark was prettier than Suzy, the prettiest girl in the village, the one Jinyoung and Jackson were spending all their excess time courting on, surprised when Jaebum was not interested. Jaebum did not care to analyze what that meant for him. He was fifteen, and he preferred spending time learning to ride a horse and doing a better job at the forge than trying to impress some girl.

But Mark, Mark was someone Jaebum wanted to impress, eager to showcase the best of his work from the past month and bragging about how he was going to get his own mare as his sixteenth birthday present. Mark smiled and told him about the elven tradition of giving elk calves to children once they passed their test of maturity around the age of fifteen to seventeen, and how Mark would be taking the test in a couple of months. Jaebum was excited for Mark, and the way Mark giggled when Jaebum wanted to hear all about elks was cute, and like always, Mark indulged him, telling him about how he would have to feed the baby animal when it would come to their household to build trust, and that it would take a year before it would be even able to ride it, but that spending all that time together with the animal would forge a stronger bond between them. Jaebum thought it was fascinating.

They swore to show each other their animals, and maybe race once they would both be old enough to be ridden on.

And they did, choosing a cold autumn night the following year on the night of the half moon, like they always did. Neither dared to risk bringing their steed over the wall, so in a silent agreement they had chosen as the location a remote, straight part of the wall next to farmlands and meadow where they could race side by side, with just the wall separating them.

It was highly metaphorical.

They had agreed on racing best out of three, with the winner getting anything they asked for as a price. Mark had been reluctant to agree on the latter, although Jaebum told him it would be fun, that Mark could for example ask him to bring more of that milk chocolate Jaebum had let him taste once and the elven boy had really liked, or to make him a knife or something (although that was something Jaebum was already planning on making for Mark’s eighteenth birthday. They had not exchanged any gifts as fancy as that so far, but he wanted to make something important for Mark).

Jaebum won the first race, but Hazel, his steady and trusty mare turned out to be no match for the sprinting capabilities of Frost, Mark’s proud elk. Mark looked like a woodland prince, bent over the back of his elk and holding onto the longer wheat brown hairs at its withers, messy blonde hair shining silver in the pale light of the moon. Once again Jaebum was amazed by the fact that he had managed to befriend such an ethereal, magical being, who was both kind and intelligent, and just wholly beautiful, inside out.

Jaebum was more than ready to spend all his savings on buying Mark chocolate when they finished the final race and Mark had won with ease, but when they had already dismounted and tied their steeds so they would not escape, Mark still hesitated voicing his request. Jaebum climbed to sit on the wall, his legs hanging onto Mark’s side of it as he tried to see the expression on the elf’s face, hidden in the shadow of the pale moon shining from behind the shorter boy, giving his silver hair an otherworldly aura.

“What would you have asked for? If you had won?” Mark finally asked. From years of knowing the other boy, although Jaebum could not see it, he knew Mark was chewing onto the side of his lip again in the way that made the other side stick out. That expression did weird things to Jaebum’s chest nowadays.

Pretending to mull the question over, Jaebum leaned back and breathed the crisp autumn night air, eyes on the stars they had watched so much together instead of Mark’s face as he was not sure what to answer, settling on something lame.

“Hmm, I guess I would have asked to ride your elk. I didn’t think it could be comfortable, but Frost’s step looked really smooth when you rode him.” Jaebum did not mention how perfect Mark had looked, his thighs holding on to the sides of his animal, back bowed and the wind tearing at his clothes and hair.

Mark laughed, telling him he could ride his elk the next time if he wanted. But instead of voicing what he wanted as a price afterwards, Mark fell into a stretching silence again. Jaebum had long since learned not to press when the elven boy was looking for the words that would correctly communicate what he wanted to say, knowing Mark would speak when he was ready. Eventually Jaebum tore his eyes down from the night sky to Mark’s frame, standing just a meter away from him, still silent. Mark had always had a more petite frame than he had had despite the fact that the elf was older than him, but Mark had told him most elves were petite, except apparently his friend Yugyeom, who was according to Mark approximately as tall as Jaebum was although he was four years younger than Mark. Apparently this annoyed the living lights out of Yugyeom’s same aged friend, Bambam, who was petite and short and apparently “cute for the girls to coo at, but no one will take him seriously”.

Jaebum had more than once wondered what type of elven girls Mark liked, but he had not dared to ask. Jaebum had told Mark about Suzy and how everyone at the village was still crazy about her, although she had a fiancé now from the next village, leaving Jinyoung and Jackson totally heartbroken.

Mark had asked if Jaebum was heartbroken too, but Jaebum had told him he had not thought Suzy to be that pretty really, and the blonde had looked pleased for some reason.

But now Mark looked uncomfortable, shifting his weight from one foot to another, and Jaebum knew the elven boy was overthinking the whole thing, so he nudged his friend’s calf softly with a foot, wordlessly telling him that it was alright, that he could ask for anything he had on his mind and Jaebum had meant it when he had said he would give it to Mark if it was in his power to do so.

Finally Mark lifted his chin, shoulders set and voiced his request. “Okay, but it’s just because you said anything, alright? Close your eyes.”

Normally Jaebum would be suspicious, because Mark liked to pull pranks sometimes, but he  _ had _ said anything and so it would be, even if it would end with Mark shoving him off of the wall and Jaebum consequently cracking his head on a rock and possibly dying.

So Jaebum closed his eyes, remaining aware of the cold air he breathed slowly in and out of his lungs, and how the uneven edge of the wall was kind of uncomfortable and definitely cold against his butt and hands, both firm reminders of where he was, grounding him. Mark was always silent when he moved, but Jaebum had learned to listen for the very soft sounds his soft shoes made against the vegetation, so he knew Mark was moving, and when he could feel warm puffs of air against his cheek and chin, he knew Mark was close.

The touch of cool, soft lips against his own was definitely unexpected, but not unwelcome. It was just a brush of lips, tentative and unsure, but regardless Jaebum found himself leaning in after Mark backed away.

Jaebum could see half of Mark’s face now, the moonlight coming slightly from the side, and he could see that the elf was  _ scared, _ frantically searching Jaebum’s expression for something. Jaebum was not sure what this meant or what was happening, but he knew he thought Mark was the most beautiful person he had ever seen or known and that he would like to feel his lips against his own more, so he brought one hand up to cup Mark’s neck and pulled the boy close again, brushing their lips together and exploring the elf’s mouth with his tongue, not caring about the consequences of their actions.

  
  
  


“You really don't care that I'm a human, and male?”

“Why would I? My heart does not see your race or gender, and it has chosen you.”

“...I love you too, Mark.”

  
  
  


Jaebum never got to ride Mark’s elk, or give Mark the decorated dagger he had made with care and dedication for the elf’s eighteenth birthday. They had not arranged to meet at the wall again as tensions between their races rose, and on the summer before Mark turned eighteen, war broke out.

Jaebum had done his utmost to speak against it as much as he could, but he was just a boy, a smith’s apprentice from a village at the edge of the kingdom, so who would listen? Diplomacy was not something the other villagers or apparently the others in the kingdom thought elves were capable of, and after the first strike into their village in the middle of the night where tens of innocents were murdered in their sleep, Jaebum understood very well that that feeling was mutual. The thing with war and murder was that once the first death happened, bloodshed was only going to bring more bloodshed, revenge demanding more loved ones to be killed and revenged in their turn, a never ending cycle of misery and loss.

Jaebum was an able young man who was old enough, so of course he was recruited into the army. He was good at it, always having trained sword fighting despite never having any real use for it in their relatively peaceful village, and he was a natural leader, so of course he rose the ranks despite always trying to spare as many lives as he could. Jaebum only killed when it was necessary, because he could not help but search for Mark’s face in the faces of the pale, blonde or white haired elves they were fighting, could not help but worry if the elf had already been killed, or if he had escaped the battles, if he lived and found someone more suitable to love, or if he had died in one of the human raids to whatever elven villages they had been able to find.

Jaebum’s father was killed a year later after the war started in a battle near where Jaebum and Mark had ridden their respective steeds and kissed for the first time. Digging the grave for his father with tears streaming down his face, Jaebum also buried Mark’s memory deep in his heart, knowing by then that what he had hoped for them was an impossibility, the wounds in the lands running so deep.

The wall had been built to be four times as high, a project that had taken the kingdom years, and the attacks had lessened with each kilometer protected by the higher height of it. Jaebum hated it. It blocked the view to the other side of the world, unless one climbed onto some place high enough that one could see over it from afar. Jaebum had taken to frequent the bell tower of their church, their village central now for the army for its position so close to the wall. He had never been able to explain to anyone else why he wanted to climb the hundreds of steps every morning. There was no good reason.

To everyone but Jaebum's surprise, Jinyoung and Jackson ended up together, the couple bickering like they always had, but they brought each other happiness in the hard times they were living in, and their wedding was a much needed celebration in the village. Jaebum was jealous of how surprisingly accepting everyone was of their slightly unconventional love, because he knew he would not have gotten such acceptance for the love he would have wanted.

He and Youngjae had a thing for a while, but Jaebum had said from the start he would not be capable of any serious emotional commitment, so it was short-lived, and based on physicality and finding comfort in each other's embraces. Jaebum was not able to stop thinking of the pitch black eyes that had looked up at Jaebum’s with starlight shining in them so many years ago, and he regretted having never gone further than kissing and some light touching with his past love. Unfortunately for Jaebum, no matter how dearly he regarded Youngjae, seeing the younger man’s mahogany eyes hazy with pleasure as the flush of arousal tinted his tan skin did nothing for Jaebum aside from the carnal desire he felt for the willing and eager body, so when there started to be more adoration and love in those eyes than Jaebum had agreed to, he had to end it, no matter that he lost the warmth he had for a moment had in his bed, because otherwise it would have only been unfair to his childhood friend.

When Jaebum's mother died from a nameless disease, there was nothing left for him in the village. Youngjae had moved to the capital after they had broken up, so Jackson and Jinyoung were Jaebum's only friends left in the village, and frankly, watching the two of them so in love made Jaebum's chest hurt with phantom pain.

Call it nostalgia or self destructiveness or whatever, but the next waning half moon Jaebum did something stupid that he had not done in years, not since he had ran into a group of elves on a similar night doing a similar stupid thing and almost died as a result.

Jaebum climbed over the wall.

It was a much more difficult feat now than it had been when he had been a child, the wall almost twice his height now. Of course, there were gates, but they were heavily guarded even now that there had not been attacks for months, and there was no good explanation as to why a revered lieutenant would want to go to the other side of the wall alone at night.

Jaebum had been out of good explanations lately. He had none for why he wanted to look over the wall every single morning enough to climb hundreds of stairs, none for why he could not return Youngjae’s feelings, none for why he wanted to risk his life to go walk the other side of the wall.

He was a fool for still dwelling on the past after all these painful years, but now that he had already lost everything, he felt the need to walk the familiar path to the clearing with the pond one last time.

The edges of the forest were different now, the humans having cut down a lot of trees to try and make the domain the elves could keep smaller, but eventually giving up as the forest was never ending. Jaebum lost his way once or twice, but deeper into the forest the trees were more familiar again, and he found the stream the deers liked to walk along, and he knew where to go.

The clearing felt smaller now than it had been before, although Jaebum was quite sure it had not shrunk, it was just Jaebum who had grown and changed. The water in the pond was as clear and cold as ever, reflecting the light of the half moon like it had on so many nights of his teenage years, and the smile that slid on Jaebum’s lips was sad, as for a moment he allowed himself to remember what he had buried in his heart a long time ago.

Jaebum laid his back down on the flat rock he had first seen the person he had never been able to get out of his head on, his legs resting in the grass next to it as he simply watched the stars and moon above. He would have cried had he not ran out of tears already, crying for his fallen comrades, friends, family, and those unjustly killed on both sides, and for what. For nothing. He had no right to cry for a first love from years back, even if they had been separated due to the same horrible circumstances that had caused all this other pain and suffering in the world. But for just a moment, Jaebum allowed for himself to wish he could turn back the time to some evening of the waning half moon when he was younger, and happy.

Jaebum almost had a heart attack when there was the sound of a branch snapping under weight. He scrambled to quickly sit up, hand reaching for the blade he always carried with him, but it was just a stag, standing at the edge of the clearing, looking at Jaebum with its big deer eyes, probably trying to assess if he was a threat. Jaebum relaxed, his heart still racing from when he had thought just now that he would maybe get to die fighting on the spot he had lost his heart all those years ago.

The sand colored stag apparently did not think of him as a big enough threat, because it boldly stepped into the clearing, making its way over to the pond. It was a majestic being by just the virtue of its sheer size, and on top of that it had strong and deadly sharp antlers, beautiful big eyes, and its fur shone slightly in the moonlight, a sign of a healthy animal. It was magnificent. Jaebum had seen a couple of similar animals as this one on the battlefield, ridden by elves with spears they used to slay enemies left and right, but this one did not seem hostile at all, and rather trusting considering the animal walked right next to him, bowing its head down to drink water from the pond.

Although Jaebum’s heart had been racing just a moment ago, he was sure it stuttered to a stop when the sound of an all too familiar voice filtered into the cool air of the clearing.

“Frost! Are you not waiting for me?”

Jaebum was sure time slowed down as he watched a figure appear from between the trees in a light jog. His hair was like moonlight, skin pale porcelain, eyes as black as Jaebum remembered,  _ and he could not possibly be real. _ Jaebum watched the casual smile directed at the huge animal - of course Jaebum should have realized, or at least thought about it - slip off from those small lips as those eyes as dark as the night flickered to his frame, fear distinct in them until something like recognition and disbelief flickered over their surface.

Jaebum was standing before he knew it, sword forgotten next to the pond as he looked into the eyes of the lover he had tried so hard to forget, and seeing the same feelings that were overflowing in his chest reflect in those black pools made suddenly it worth all the waiting, the longing, the pain and misery he had experienced for being apart, despite the hundreds of times Jaebum had cursed himself for falling so truly, deeply in love with someone he was never meant to be with.

  
  
  


“You’re still alive.”

“You never came back.”

“I did, and I almost died for it, so I stopped coming.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“It’s not yours, either.”

  
  
  


It was so quickly, and yet not fast enough when they fell into the soft grass, clothes discarding one by one as lips and hands claimed back the years they had lost. Jaebum had had sex before, but he had never made love, never like he did under the light of the waning half moon on that night, hands exploring pale skin in places they had never had the chance to touch the elf before, taking their time to find all the spots that made the blonde shudder, or sigh, or moan. He had never come apart as easily and as many times as he did then, but it was only right as he was united with the one he had always loved.

Somehow, Mark managed to be even more beautiful with his hair wild and sweaty skin glistening in the cold light of the night, eyes burning straight into Jaebum's soul with feelings held back for too many years. Jaebum reveled in the love and desire he had never dared to hope he would get after everything that had gone wrong with the world.

Oh how different his life would have been had he not met Mark on that day he had run away from home when he was seven. So many times had he hoped he could have regretted it, but now Jaebum was happy he never had.

They did not have to say it aloud to know that they both understood the difficulty of them leading a life together, but it was also obvious that now that they had found each other again, they would not bear to be parted.

  
  
  


“I never stopped loving you, not even for a moment.”

“Me neither. I tried to, but my heart had chosen yours like yours had chosen mine.”

  
  
  


Jaebum had never known how true friends he had before Jinyoung and Jackson figured out his secret.

They had apparently become suspicious when he had started ordered ingredients for black hair dye, and Jackson had followed him one night, the second lieutenant expert in stealth and moving unseen, so Jaebum had not noticed him as he had made his way another night to climb over the wall to meet his lover again.

When they confronted Jaebum about it, for a horrible moment Jaebum had thought he would actually have to fight his best friends, before Jinyoung had managed to explain that they wanted to help.

They had figured out that Jaebum had an elven lover, and they still wanted to help. It was an absurd thought in this world torn apart by hate, but Jaebum was so thankful he did not know for a moment how to breathe and definitely not how to respond, just holding the two by their shoulders so tightly it was uncomfortable, but the two of them did not complain, understanding how big of a deal this was.

It was with their help, that Jaebum was able to get a house in the outskirts of the village, and that Jaebum was able to smuggle Mark into his life, the blonde hair gone as it had to be hidden under black dye and pale skin made appear tan with make-up every time anyone visited or Mark had to go to the village for any occasion. It was not easy, and Mark longed to the forest so much he risked getting caught by climbing over the wall whenever it became too much, but they were together, and that was what mattered. Their wedding was tiny, and Mark did not make human friends except for Jackson and Jaebum who knew what he was, but they were more happy than they would have been apart.

They climbed into the clock tower together once a month, on the morning of the waning half moon to see the sunrise over the magical kingdom beyond the wall. Instead of the view, Jaebum often admired the first rays of the sun lighting Mark’s side profile, the fake tan skin never looking right on him, but it was a necessity. The overgrown black hair covered his ears, only to be shown in their home where Jaebum would try to give them all the attention they deserved, knowing how important a part they were of Mark’s identity. It was not right, hiding them away, but they would have both been killed, if anyone less understanding would see them.

Jaebum hated how much Mark had had to give up to be with him, but Mark never allowed him to be sorry, a knowing look silencing the apology again ready to leave his lips.

It was not their fault. They were just doing their best to live the life they wanted together in a world that would not allow it if it only knew.

But the world was ever changing, and when years later the peace that had slowly settled was finally officialized and the damned wall was finally broken down, they could breathe a sigh of relief, not having to anymore live in the constant fear of being discovered. Despite Jaebum’s apprehensiveness and warnings, Mark was eager to cut his hair and let it grow in its original color, standing up against prejudice in his natural fair appearance, allowing the people in the village to slowly and grudgingly understand that maybe elves were not so different from them after all - they had had one live in their midst for years, and they had not thought him to be any different, only a bit quiet and solitary as Mark had had to hide his truth.

Their five year vow renewal had over ten times more people in attendance than their wedding had had, both elven and human this time. It was a symbolic event of kingdoms wide importance, signaling that maybe it was possible for their two warring races to live together peacefully despite their history and differences.

It was not a change in mindsets that would happen quickly, but they set an important example of what could be, when people looked beyond walls, beyond race and prejudice.

After all, the light of the moon was the same, no matter where it shone, and the wall was just a construction, the worlds it had divided just parts of one, magnificent world.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this from the prompt "Markbum fantasy AU" from a [Patron](http://www.patreon.com/seitsemannen) of mine, and I was super excited to write this, since there are not enough Fantasy AU fics in the GOT7 fandom :)
> 
> Markbum is rare too, and although I love them, I reaaaaallly seem to think they are star-crossed lovers, because all ideas I came up with had a tendency to be kind of tragedies or end unhappily for them :D for this one though, it turned out alright ♥
> 
> I like the pace in this, what do you think? Let me know!!


End file.
